When it comes to wild ride indie games that slapped people around a bit and made a major impression in this last generation, it would be difficult to exclude Hotline Miami from the mix. While it was hardly a looker, its intense bursts of extreme violence, pretty tripped out and bizarre story, and overall degree of difficulty at times absolutely made it memorable. Since its release there have been a few titles that have tried to capture that same overall look and feel, with varying degrees of success, but none quite like Material Evidence.

Played with a side-scrolling perspective rather than top-down, it has obviously decided to go its own route, but with its bloody violence, high-intensity shoot outs, and overall style it’s hard not to draw at least some comparisons. While you could argue that with its perspective it may also have some Katana Zero vibes, given the fact that your best results will typically come from sticking to guns as much as possible, and there isn’t a time-warping element to exploit, the similarities are a bit more limited.

In terms of criticisms, there’s no getting around the fact that subtlety isn’t anywhere to be found here. The controls are a bit loose, if you end up accidentally picking up the wrong weapon on the run (which can happen often as they will get stacked on one another) you’ll be toast, and there’s simply going to be blood everywhere. Another aspect of that heavy and unapologetic focus on the action is that narratively there isn’t much to work with here, at least when compared to a game like Hotline that was obviously trying to be distinctive by carving out an odd space all its own. Here the primary selling point is the bloody shootouts and challenges, with everything else taking a back seat moreso.

The result is an intense and visceral budget shooter that may not be terribly deep, but can still be quite satisfying if you don’t mind the pixelated violence. While it may not have the narrative depth or replayability of the likes of Hotline Miami with its odd story beats and various masks, it still delivers on the core promise of a budget-friendly shooter that will keep you on your toes.